Review: Color night vision with the SiOnyx Aurora

As someone who frequently photographs the night sky and nocturnal landscapes, I was intrigued by the recently announced SiOnyx Aurora IR Night Vision Camera. The Aurora is a compact camera designed to shoot stills and video in color under low light conditions, in addition to providing night vision capability.

The camera is marketed for outdoor enthusiasts (e.g., boaters, fishermen, hunters, hikers) who need to see in the dark and might want to capture their nocturnal activities. At a retail price of $799 it's more than an impulse buy, but it promises some impressive capabilities. Being an aurora photographer, I was interested in its performance capturing the Northern Lights so I took the Aurora to Yellowknife, Canada.

Key specifications

'Ultra-low-light' 1"-type CMOS sensor

1280x720 resolution (stills and video)

16mm (47mm equiv) lens

Three shooting modes: Night (F1.4), Twilight (F2.0), and Day (F5.6)

Image stabilization

Video frame rates from 7.5 to 60 fps

OLED viewfinder

IP67 water resistant

Night Vision

The SiOnyx Aurora features a one-inch-type ultra low light CMOS sensor—sensitive to both visible and infrared light —capable of capturing stills and video in either monochrome or color, though it's limited to shooting stills and video at 1280x720 resolution.

This resolution may seem low by today's standards but it makes sense for a night vision camera. In everyday photography pixel size has very little effect on image quality, other than that small pixels give more detail. However, the tiny advantage that large pixels can have can become significant in extreme low-light situations, which means a night vision camera is one of the few instances where bigger pixels offer a recognizable benefit.

The SiOnyx Aurora features a 1"-type ultra low light CMOS sensor sensitive to both visible and infrared light. It also includes effective image stabilization for handheld use in dark conditions.

Resolution and pixel size aside, as soon as I picked up the Aurora it became evident that its compact size and light weight were going to put this camera in its own category. The water-resistant Aurora is 11.7 cm (4.6") long and weighs only 227 g (8 oz) so it fits easily in a jacket pocket. Its portability and the fact that a tripod is not required to shoot at night means that the Aurora can always be within reach and ready to shoot.

The Aurora has three shooting modes for daytime (F5.6), twilight (F2.0), and nighttime (F1.4) scenes. The daytime setting performs as expected but the twilight mode performs well only for a short window of time. My impression was that I needed to change the dial to the night setting long before twilight was over. When you rotate the dial from Twilight to Night, the infrared filter is removed from the optical path. The Night scene mode is the most useful (and fun) since at that setting the camera captures light at wavelengths way beyond what the human eye can see. Specifically, its wavelength range goes from blue (400 nm) to infrared (1,100 nm). In comparison, the human eye can see from blue (400 nm) to red (700 nm).

All videos below are straight-out-of-camera and were shot handheld.

Comparison of the Twilight and Night scene modes shot two hours after sunset. It was dark enough that I needed my smartphone LED light to safely walk around. Download original

The Night scene mode has three color settings collectively referred to as ‘Night Glow’: Grayscale and Green, both useful when there's almost no artificial light and barely any natural light, and Night Color, beneficial when viewing colors is important, as in the case of the Northern Lights.

Scenes shot in Grayscale Night mode. The armadillo was shot near a street lamp. The scene in the park was very dark to the human eye since those trees blocked most of the artificial light. The third scene was shot under moonlight and some street lighting. Download original

Point, Focus, and Shoot in the Dark

The benefits of the Aurora for hunting, fishing, and other outdoor enthusiasts is very apparent, but I wanted to see how useful it would be to capture video of the Northern Lights. Since most of the time the Northern Lights move slowly, time-lapse photography with exposures of several seconds is the perfect technique to capture them. That way, we get to capture more light with long exposures and we get to compress (or speed up) time by playing the frames at a higher rate than those at which they were taken.

During a substorm the lower end of an aurora curtain can move at speeds exceeding 5 km/s and look motion-blurred in time-lapse sequences. The higher frame rate of video works better to capture the substorm motion...

Nevertheless, time-lapse photography might not be the best technique to capture a substorm: the sudden brightening and increased movement of auroral arcs that can last for tens of minutes. During a substorm the lower end of an aurora curtain can move at speeds exceeding 5 km/s and look motion-blurred in time-lapse sequences. The higher frame rate of video works better to capture the substorm motion, but the shorter exposure for each frame results in lower signal-to-noise ratios and lower image quality.

I set the camera to the Night Color mode, the frame rate to 30p, and set focus to infinity. Once a substorm started all I had to do was to take the camera out of my pocket, turn it on, and press record. The electronic viewfinder (EVF) shows you exactly what you are capturing so it is very easy to point, shoot, and follow your subject.

Handheld video showing strong green and red auroral emission during a substorm on the moonless night of 9 September 2018. The foreground in all of these auroras videos was extremely dark and the use of flashlight to safely walk around was imperative. Download original

As expected, the SiOnyx Aurora works best when the Northern Lights are at its brightest, and you can see how the video gets noisier when the lighting conditions are darker (0:20 and 1:08 marks on the video above). Also, the Auto White Balance appears to shift during faint periods (1:33 mark). Overall, the camera captured the colors and rapid motion of the substorm well.

The images above are video frames taken from the SiOnyx Aurora camera. Both video and still images from the camera have a resolution of 1280x720.

A few nights later I shot a brighter auroral substorm from the side of a road. The infrared light reflected by nearby trees at the beginning of the video below indicates that the ambient light at that location was also brighter. Note that the infrared light detected by the camera comes from objects reflecting it and not emitting it. In other words, the camera does not detect thermal emission (light emitted due to the temperature of matter).

This brighter auroral substorm resulted in a video with lower noise. Notice the infrared light reflected by vegetation and the very fast motion of the aurora around 0:25. Download original

The SiOnyx Aurora outputs JPEG stills and MOV (H.264) video files with audio. Unless otherwise noted, images in this articles are frames from videos files. To compare the quality of a JPEG with the quality of a video frame, I shot a still in Color Night mode (F1.4) with an exposure of 1/30 sec at ISO 20,000 and compared it with a frame of a video of the same scene shot in Color Night mode (F1.4) at 30p. I can only assume that the chosen ISO (the Aurora always operates in Auto ISO) was 20,000 as well.

The video frame looks cleaner and the edges look slightly sharper but the shadows are clipped. This could be the result of further image processing and video compression. One definite advantage of shooting stills is the ability of taking exposures as long as 1.5 seconds.

Comparison of a still image with an exposure of 1/30 sec at ISO 20,000 and a frame from a video shot at 30p. Both were shot in Color Night mode (F1.4). The foreground tree was illuminated by a street lamp.

To see how the SiOnyx Aurora compares to another camera that performs well in low light conditions, I shot two scenes with the Aurora (set to Color Night mode) and with the Nikon D5 with a Nikkor 50mm F1.4G. Both image sets were shot with the same exposure parameters.

Still image shot with the SiOnyx Aurora: 1/30 sec, F1.4, ISO 20,000

Still image shot with a Nikon D5 and a Nikkor 50mm F1.4G: 1/30 sec, F1.4, ISO 20,000. Sampled down to 1280 px wide.

Still image shot with the SiOnyx Aurora: 1/15 sec, F1.4, ISO 102,400

Still image shot with a Nikon D5 and a Nikkor 50mm F1.4G: 1/15 sec, F1.4, ISO 102,400. Sampled down to 1280 px wide.

Not surprisingly, given its relatively low resolution, the images from the SiOnyx camera are not as sharp and clean as those shot with the Nikon D5, but they do show more vegetation due its extended range into the infrared part of the electromagnetic spectrum. The second scene was too dark for the unaided eye to clearly perceive and, while I was able to easily focus using the Aurora EVF, it was impossible for me to focus using the D5 viewfinder or Live View mode. It is evident that the advantages of the Aurora are its infrared sensitivity, bright EVF, ease of use, compactness, and light weight.

The Aurora sports a fixed 16mm lens (47mm equivalent in full frame terms) which provides a diagonal FOV of 48 degrees. Although, I wished I had a wider FOV to capture the auroral displays, I think the fixed 48-degree FOV is a good compromise for most uses. Lens focus is manual only, but I was surprised how easy it was for me to focus in the dark thanks to the bright OLED EVF. Additionally, the camera features focus peaking, which displays a red highlight on in‐focus edges.

Features Galore

The Aurora is packed with shooting features including shutter speeds from 1.5 sec to 1/8,000 sec, burst mode (2.5, 5, or 10p), HDR, self-timer (2, 5, or 12 sec), panorama (up to 180 degrees in landscape or portrait mode), and time-lapse. Video frame rates range from 7.5 to 120p. The Aurora also features Electronic Image Stabilization and remote operation using the SiOnyx mobile app (iOS and Android).

Lens focus is manual only, but I was surprised how easy it was for me to focus in the dark thanks to the bright OLED EVF.

The EVF has the option to turn itself on only when you move your face close the eyepiece. Although this definitely helps to save power (from a standard Fujifilm-style NP-50 lithium ion battery) I thought that battery life was very limited. Fortunately, the Aurora can draw power from an external source via USB. (NB: For this to work you still need a battery inside the camera). This is very helpful, for example, when taking long time-lapse sequences.

The SiOnyx app lets you connect remotely to the Aurora via Wi-Fi to: browse and delete content in the microSD card, change settings, and shoot stills and video.

Final Thoughts

Not only can the Aurora capture video and stills at night, but the list of uses (thanks to its bright EVF) in wildlife watching, hunting, boating, fishing, and other nocturnal outdoor activities is long.

I think it's important to stress what the camera is not for. It's neither designed for capturing high-resolution images for prints or HD monitors nor for shooting video for professional productions. Hence, it is not in the same category as low-light mirrorless cameras or DSLRs. The camera is very useful as a device to do tasks in the dark—especially when safety might be an issue—and to capture outdoor activities and the natural world at night in a fun and easy way.

Video frame of Northern Lights tour participants warming up and waiting for the natural spectacle to begin.

I benefit tremendously from using high-end DSLRs to take long exposures and time-lapse sequences of natural phenomena. I don't see the SiOnyx Aurora as a substitute to my equipment but as a complement instead.

I'll let my high-end DSLRs do what they do best—capture time-lapse sequences for my science films—and use the Aurora to capture nocturnal videos that allow me to demonstrate phenomena in my science lectures (e.g., how fast can the Northern Lights appear to move). As a science communicator, handheld videos shot in real time, especially with audio, help me bring audiences closer to the natural phenomena I present and, as a photographer, the fact that I can take this camera out of my pocket and be ready to shoot in seconds is a big plus.

As a science communicator, handheld videos shot in real time, especially with audio, help me bring audiences closer to the natural phenomena I present...

Does the SiOnyx Aurora let me see things in the dark that I can't see with the unaided eye? Absolutely: the infrared sensitivity makes a big difference and, hence, my stress on the night vision capability of this device. The fact that you can also capture what you see is a plus. For me it was capturing Northern Lights, but I'm also looking forward to capturing surface lava flows in Hawaii, bioluminescence in Puerto Rico, as well as other phenomena around the world.

José Francisco is a seasoned night sky and aurora photographer and filmmaker. If you would like to view, photograph, and learn about the Northern Lights please inquire about his Borealis Science & Photo Tours in Yellowknife, Canada.

Comments

Given its sensor size and resolution, it should be doing better in low light.

It is almost as if they just took the 1 inch sensor from their RX100 line of cameras and just downsampled the images to 720P.

The video shows signs of a heavy amount of low frame count (probably 2) temporal noise reduction (seen similar behavior when attempting to do only 2 frames of temporal noise reduction in post when recording video on an expanded ISO. if they could have made a 1 inch sensor that had only 1280x720 pixels, it would offer at least 1.5-2 stops better high ISO performance than the Sony A7S II.

This is a different device. The Google approach is to stack many shortish exps to make a low-light still. But the Onyx shows (and takes) live video in low light, which phone-cams cannot do. Onyx also takes single-exp stills but they are almost an afterthought of poor quality (esp resolution) that does not compete with DSLR or stacking phone-cams.

Onyx is a night-vision scope with recording capabilities. It is not as sensitive as military-grade Gen-3 night vision but only costs about 1/3 as much.

Hi John. I agree with your first statement. Nevertheless, I'm looking forward to shooting video with the Galactic bulge in the background. I'm afraid that a moonless night with no auroras and with no other obvious light source (natural or artificial) will be extremely challenging for this, and many, cameras. Actually, I would like to shoot with the Moon as the only or main light source. Cheers!

My thoughts exactly. In night mode it simply removes the IR filter, effectively becoming a full spectrum camera. For exposure comparisons with the Nikon to be valid it, too, would need to be converted to full spectrum. This Aurora is simply taking advantage of the IR energy, which the straight Nikon doesn't.

Maybe a nice low price and low weight gadget for night images, but concerning image and video quality, it is behind what cameras like A7s can record. It seems to capture the red and pink nicely, bur removing the IR filter from the A7s might do the same. I have been shooting aurora on 8 trips now, and with cameras like A7s for video and A7r, A99II and others for stills, you get way more pleasing results. For those who are new to the subject, have a look at my very first polar light video I shot in 2015 with A7s (didn't publish later work yet). Look at 1:25 and 3:00ffhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OjQCKYJ8YoINote: Colour of aurora varies. Sometimes it is just green, other times it can have pink, red, purpe and even blue colour.

Interesting... But considering how crappy the results look compared to the D5 (which can go to higher sensitivities still), what I'd like to see is those twilight videos/pictures compared to some more standard equipment... MILC, smartphone. Without the comparison the videos are pointless because we weren't there to judge what the lighting actually was.

Yes, I get it it's a specialty tool and the EVF is probably more useful than on regular cameras, but i find it hard to gauge how useful it really is. Especially due to its low res and since most other cameras can be modified to remove the IR filter too.

This is not a high-resolution imaging device, you can't take a D5, pinch it between your fingers, and see through colour night vision with IR WL. It's a specialty tool really and I do believe it's more about the see-in-the-dark aspect rathet than photograph-in-the-dark.

"while I was able to easily focus using the Aurora EVF, it was impossible for me to focus using the D5 viewfinder or Live View mode."This is the case with most mirrorless cameras and their EVF's versus a DSLR's OVF. However, some DSLR's can focus in extreme dimness, below the point where you can see to compose the image!

Don't be so sure, User239883473849847294293472... IR light focuses at a different point than visible light does. That's why manual-focus lenses had a red dot next to the focus indicator line. Different focal planes.

That said, I don't have the stats on the D5's PDAF sensors, and I'll let you guys look 'em up. :)

@Sir 7Whether D5 focused with infrared or not, it may still choose a place different from the user intended. However, it does not apply here since,1, the user can always override onto where to focus. 2, the context is about aurora. It doesn’t really matter where it focused. All the objects in the frame should be in focus no matter where the focus point chosen in most cases.

This a whole different specialized animal. Look at the D5 images, which is more or less similar to the A7s and both are the absolute best lowlight cameras in the world, and this takea it to a WHOLE other level.

Where is the D5 better? It's a completely different image, with IR WL available, that you can pinch between two fingers in one hand and see through it in the dark. It's just a very dedicated speciality tool.

It's not that an IR modifies A7SII with the OLED EVF + a 50mm f/0.95 wouldn't be an awesome lowlight machine. Just, different.

Where is it better? Just far higher resolution with far lower noise and at least remotely accurate colors? What on earth is that purple blot from the Aurora's output? Maybe this is useful for pseudo-documentary horror films.

No it doesn't, just lift the shadows of the JPGs and you'll see that the D5 has cleaner shadows, what looks almost like pitch black still has details buried, the Aurora's shadows have probably been pre-lifted and further lifting them will give you little else than the noise floor.

I've had an Aurora for over 2 months and subjected it to considerable use. Here is my report to add to the above review:

It is virtually useless for astro imaging. The hardware and software design strongly prohibit anything other than low-quality night-sky images/videos that are markedly inferior to just about any DSLR. Water-tight sealing makes it impossible to use any other lens. The native lens is entirely unsuitable for astro and cannot be adapted to a telescope. I am tempted to tear it apart but nasty software issues would remain.

Sensitivity is pretty good but not as sensitive as photon intensified night scopes: better than Gen-1; almost as good as Gen-2; noticeably inferior to Gen-3. But it also costs about 1/3 of a Gen-3 monocular. I don't see the military using this in place of real night-vision.

The ability to record is nice and not a feature of a real night-vision monocular. Real night-vision cameras are bulkier, heavier and much more expensive.

Digital nightvision simply isn't here yet. Although there are some hybrid devices.That's why the military uses "old" gen 3 tubes or newer filmless gen 3 tubes. Or they go all the way to real Infrared heat vision, which is the preferred option today for all air to ground surveillance or target acquisition.

My lab bought and tested several of these. They were on par or worse than the latest Sony offerings. There is a lot of hype coming from this company that needs to be double checked. Though the images look interesting in this article, comparing them to a comparably priced Sony Stravis would have shown nothing special from "black silicon". The only thing nice is the packaging SiOnyx did and the post processing.

:D Lol, jk. Just getting you back for the other thread where you said that. Oh, speaking of, I posted a pic in my gallery regarding "my lie" and you may want to check it out. Or not. Up to you. Anyhoo, have a good one, bro.

It is pretty cool but it is definitely inferior to "real" (photon intensified) night-scopes though it costs considerably less.

I've tested this extensively and found that my dark-adapted naked eye can detect objects slightly better than the Aurora at maximum live sensitivity (7.5 fps). But if there is sufficient dim lighting then Aurora detail is better than the naked eye and of course can see NIR that the eye cannot.

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